This I Believe: I Believe in Redemption

For those of you that don't know, I have another blog where I post just my writing...essays, etc. There's a new post today with an essay that I recently submitted to the program "This I Believe" that is broadcast on NPR. If you haven't ever checked it out, I totally recommend it.

Paul McCartney in Kyiv.....WOW!

Ok...I have a friend that used to call me her "all or nothing" friend...and I guess that's true. Either these whopping long serious posts, or...ones like this one!

Paul McCartney was in concert tonight on Kyiv's Independence Square - in the heart of downtown Kyiv. It was AWESOME! It rained and poured throughout the day (even hailed!) and was really pouring when the concert actually began. It was crazy trying to get through the crowds with umbrellas, etc. We actually (Danny and Annaliese Foote and I) sought refuge in a Scottish pub and were watching it on TV to see if the concert was actually going to take place or be rained out.

But when the whole pub, Ukrainians and expats alike, all started singing "Love, Love Me Do" off-key and with interesting accents all around, it was more than we could take to be that close to the concert and be hearing all of them instead of HIM. Paul.

So, we braved the rain, made our way to the "non-alcohol" area that was guarded by police and eventually the rain let up! It was GREAT! The crowd there was pretty mellow and it was just great.

I haven't yet replaced my camera that I unfortunately lost not long ago so this post is sadly devoid of pictures, but Danny took some and as soon as he sends them I will post them.

The funniest highlights to me were when Paul took out a mandolin people around me remarked that he was playing a balalaika (sp?). :) That was funny. And when he was trying to speak Ukrainian he said only the last word in a phrase so that it was understandable and everyone around me turned to look at each other and said "Oh! Pesnu!" because they recognized the word "song" that he had just said...it was funny. :)

The whole evening was great. Danny and Liese are my new vote for "coolest missionaries in Ukraine"...nothing personal to everyone else, its just that if they wouldn't have wanted to go I probably wouldn't have gone by myself, but they did - and I did...and it was GREAT! Even if he didn't sing Helter Skelter. Manson affiliations aside, it is really a great song that has nothing to do with all the things Charlie wanted to connect it to. BUT all the others were great, too..

Ok...enough gushing, have to pack and then hit the hay before I get up early to go to Hungary for the CC Eastern European Missions Conference. I wasn't going to go (not in the budget!) and the church here wanted me to go so are covering me for now. Very cool.

Oh, final word...not many guys can rock like that at 25, LET ALONE 65, so - WAY TO GO , PAUL! :)

Aaaaaahhhhh, The SLO Life...

Without a camera my blog has gotten pretty text heavy....I suppose writing marathon posts like my last one doesn't help it much either. :)

So I figured I'd give you all a break from my hot air and link you to someone else's long winded post! Not really.. this isn't ranting or anything, this is just the coolest post about one of my former "home towns" - San Luis Obispo, CA . (Lots of very cool photos, too!)

I have many home towns: Emmett, Idaho; Grants Pass, OR; Ventura, CA; for the main ones. But SLO is the last place I really lived in the states before coming to Ukraine and has a special place in my heart.

I always tell people here in Ukraine that I miss a lot of people and things about America but SLO is one place where I actually really miss the town, as well as friends, etc. Such a cool town. Sigh... Check it out.